Wrench having threaded jaw shank adjusted by sleeve-enclosed interrupted-thread nut having projections yieldably interlocking with sleeve



2,496,799 -ENCLOSED Feb. 7 1950 M. F. LANCKTON WRENCH HAVING THREADED JAW-SHANK ADJUSTED BY SLEEVE INTERRUPTED-THREAD NUT HAVING PROJECTIONS YIELDABLY INTERLOCKING WITH SLEEVE Filed Oct. 3, 1946 I ATTORNEYS.

extendabout portions oi the two shanks.

Patented Feb. 7, 1950 WRENCH HAVING THREADED JAW SHANK ADJUSTEDBY SLEEVE-ENCLOSED INTER- ,RUPTED-THREAD NUT .HAVING PROJEC- TIONS 'YIELDABLY INTERLOCKING WITH SLEEVE Merle .Lanckton, .Castile, ":N. 11.; Elizabeth N. .Lanckton .administratrix of said Merle F.

Lanckton, deceased Application October 3, 1946, Serial N o. 7 00,988

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in wrenches and more particularly to wrenches of the type having adjustable jaws to adapt the same to operate on work oi different sizes.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an .aldjusting means, whereby the movable shank of the wrench may be adjusted relatively to the other shank of the wrench and locked against moving out of its adjusted position by means of an improved and'simplified construction. vA further object of this invention is to provide locking means of this type whichmay be readily applied to wrenches as heretofore made, without changes in the major parts of the wrenches. Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following description and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated by way of example oneembodiment of this invention:

Fig. 1 represents the side view of a wrench having improved adjustmentlocking means embodying this invention applied thereto.

Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections thereof,

on lines .22 and 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation. similar to .Fig. .2, but showing the parts in different positions.

This invention may be applied to any desired type of adjustable jaw wrench, and in .the particular embodiment of this invention illustrated in the drawings, I have shown my improvements applied to a Stillson or pipe wrench.

6 represents the main shank of the wrench which isprovided at one end thereof with .a jaw I which may have teeth formed thereon for gripping the Work. The other end of this shank may be provided with a handle (not shown) .of any suitable or desired construction.

'9 represents the movable or shiftable shank of the wrench .havingajaw it formed thereon for cooperation with the law 1. The opposed faces of the jaws may be either smooth ortoothed, asshown, or ofany other suitable form.

The shiftable shank 9 of the wrench "is preferably provided with opposite vfiat .faces .connected by rounded 'faces having screw threads [2 formed thereon, as :is customary in wrench construction. v

The shiitable :shank S-of the wrenchmay be .heldin operative relation to theshan-k 6 in any 'usual or suitable. manner, for example by means ofa sleeve type yokeor housing lb of any'suit- "able construction, that shown being formed :to

This

in through whichthe shiftable shank 9 extends,

and in which it is adjustable lengthwise. The housing is suitable secured to the main shank n, being rigidly secured thereto in some types of wrenches, and in the case of a Stillson or pipe wrench, the housing is pivotally mounted on th main shank 5, forexample, by means of a pivot pin or bolt is, about which the housing may swing to a limited extent. The wrench shown is provided with :the usual spring I B mounted on the main shank :6 and having one end thereof secured to the shank and the other extending into the hollow housing [5. Another spring l9 normally urges the housing to swing into the position shown in Fig, 1, the upper portion of this spring engaging a cross member or brace 29 extending across the open interior of the housing to reinforce the same. This'brace also forms one wall of the passage in the housing in which the shiftable shank is slidable in the direction of its length. The housing also has a projection or restriction 21 extending into the passage in the housing at the opposite edge of the shiftable shank 9, for guiding this shank for substantially straight line movement relatively. to the housing.

The housing is also provided with the usual transverse opening 22 therein which intersects the passage in the housing in which the shiftable or adjustable shank S is arranged, this transverse opening being provided for an adjusting nut .25 for theshiftable shank.

In accordance with my invention, I provide an adjustingnut 25-0)? improvedconstruction formed to extend into the opening 2 2 and having the usual outer knurled surface and an internal thread .2? formed to engage the threaded .por-

tions 12 of the shiftable shank. The thread 2'5 ma be continuous or it:may be interrupted with recesses 28 at diametrically opposite sides thereof, :the recesses in the threaded portions of the nut'extending throughout the ilength of the nut and-being of such width that when-the nut is'turned in the position in which the thread- ;ed portions l2 of the shank enter the recesses,

the shiftable shank will-be ireeto move lengthwise of the adjusting nut for quick adjustment of the shank relatively to the nut and -thef .11,ous ing Hi. 33y turning the nut lsothat the threaded portions :2! engage the shank; further movement of the shank independently of the nut :isinterrupted. The recesses -28 of the .nut'may, show- :ever, the .omittedif desired, in which :case,:ad-

3 justment of the shiftable shank is effected only by turning the nut.

It is desirable to hold the nut in adjusted position so that during the normal use of the wrench, the shiftable shank 9 will not become displaced from the position into which it was set. I accomplish this by providing the adjusting nut 25 with projections on one end of the nut, the projections being spaced apart and formed to cooperate with the housing l5. These projections may be of any suitable or desired form, and in the construction illustrated, I have provided four projections 30 on the end of the nut nearest to the jaws of the wrench and between these projections I have provided clear spaces 3|. These projections are so located on the nut that they may engage with the part of the housing adjacent to the transverse opening 22 therein. Four projections of this type are shown in the drawings and they are arranged so that they may hold the nut against turning when the same is in any one of four different positions relatively to the housing 15. When the nut is in any one of these four positions, two of the projections will be in position to project beyond the transverse opening 22 in the housing and 1 engage the opposite outer faces of this housing adjacent to this opening. At the same time, the other two projections will extend into the interior of the hollow space or passage within the housing beyond the edge of the transverse opening 22 and thus very securely hold the adjusting nut against turning when the same is urged toward the edge of the opening 22 with which the projections engage. The guide passage in the housing for the adjustable or shiftable shank 9 is enlarged at the transverse opening for the adjusting nut, as clearly shown at 32, Fig. 1, so that the projections 30 may readily enter into the enlargement of the passage, and hold the nut against turning in either direction by engaging the inner face of the housing.

The adjusting nut 25 may be urged into position to have the projections 30 thereof interlocked with the housing l5 by any suitable means. In

the construction shown for this purpose, the.

spring [9 is provided with an extension 33 of substantially fork shape which straddles the shiftable shank 9 and engages the end of the nut opposite to that on which the projections 30 are formed. This spring, consequently, yieldingly urges the nut into positions in which the projections thereof engage with the housing 15.

By means of the construction described, the nut 25 may be turned b first moving the same toward the bifurcated part 33 of the spring l9 until the projections 30 clear the adjacent edge of the transverse opening of the housing, whereupon the nut may be freely turned for adjusting the shiftable shank. If the nut is provided with recesses 28 extending across the internal thread thereof,

then when the nut is in the position shown in Fig. 4, the shiftable shank may be readily moved through the guide passage therefor in the housing l5, and the projections 30 which are then on the exterior of the housing may be provided with some identifying mark, such for example as a single notch 34. When the nut is turned into a position at right angles thereto, the internal threads 21 engage the threads l2 of the shiftable shank and the projections 30 which are then on the outside of the housing l5 may be given some other identifying mark, such for example as two notches 35.

By means of the construction described, the

movement out of the position into which it is set by means of the projections 30 formed integral with the nut engaging portions of the housing 5. The construction described, therefore, requires the minimum of change in wrenches as heretofore constructed, it being merely necessary to provide one end of the nut with projections for cooperating with the housing l5 and providing at the other end of the nut means for urging the nut into positions in which the projections 30 interlock with the housing. As has been stated, the nut 25 may have a continuous internal thread, in which case, the nut is turned until th desired adjustment of the shiftable shank i provided. If the projections are then not in position to interlock with the housing, the nut may be turned to a slight extent in either direction until it is in locking position. When the wrench is used to apply torque to a part, this torque tends to pull the shiftable shank upwardly in Fig. 1, thus forcing the upper face of the nut against the housing to hold the projections firmly in place against the housing to prevent turning of the nut. When the torque is released, the spring 33 yieldingly holds the nut in the same position. Consequently, the wrench will not change its adjustment until set manually for another adjustment. Since my improved locking means comprise integral parts of the adjusting nut and the housing, it will be apparent that this locking means is of exceptionally strong and durable construction.

The shiftable shank may be provided on one face thereof with suitable graduations 31 which may cooperate with the edge of the housing l5 which is nearest to the jaws for indicating approximately the size of the opening between the jaws I and ID or for indicating the size pipe for which the jaw is set or the size of the pipe fittings, such as sleeves, elbows, and Ts with which the wrench may be used. Different scales may be provided on opposite sides of the shiftable shank 9.

I claim:

A wrench including a main shank having a jaw at one end thereof, a shiftable shank having a jaw formed to cooperate with the jaw of said main shank and having screw threads on opposite edges thereof, a housing mounted in said main shank and having limited movement relatively to the same, said housing having a passage therein in which said shiftable shank is arranged and in which said shank is adjustable to adjust the jaw thereof relatively to said first mentioned jaw, said housing having a lateral opening intersecting said passage therein, an adjusting nut for said shiftable shank extending through said lateral opening and said passage, said nut having an internal thread and diametrically opposed recesses which interrupt the thread of the nut so that when said nut is in one position the thread thereof engages the threads of said shiftable shank and when in another position substantially at right angles to said first mentioned position, the threads of said nut and said shiftable shank are out of engagement to permit free movement of said shiftable shank relativel to said housing, projections on said nut which cooperate with said housing and which may be positioned on the exterior of said housing and within said passage thereby to hold said nut against turning when the nut threads either engage the threads of said shiftable shank or are positioned out of engagement therewith, and means for yieldingly urging adjusting nut 2 can be readily held against said nut in a direction in which said projections in said nuts ar in one relation to the threads of 10 the shiftable shank and when said pair of projections are injthe interior of said housing, said recesses are in; another relation to the threads of the shiftable shank, whereby the nut may be readily positioned to have the threaded portions 15 1,582,803

oi the nut in or out of operative. relation to said threaded shank, depending upon the position of said projections relatively to said housing.

MERLE F. LANCKTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of. record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re.11,614 Wenger June 29, 1897 549,221 Wenger Nov. 5, 1895 771,556 Kinsey Oct. 4, 1904 Thorngren Apr. 27, 1926 

